Everything's Gonna Change
by shadow243ali
Summary: He wasn’t that guy and this would be another day where he wouldn’t talk to Peyton Sawyer. Lucas and Peyton's thoughts before S1.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I wrote this late last night and I was in the OTH writing mood so here I am with this piece here and seeing as firstly I don't have a beta and secondly I wrote this at five in the morning, I'm guessing there might be mistakes in here but I take full responsibiility if there are some. Anyway, on with the story...**

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The dull persistence of the common noise irritated her beyond words. The chirping of the morning birds felt harsh and metallic, forced out by the repetition of their days instead of the happiness of life. As if there was such a thing as happiness?

The dark shadows covered her body, the overly bright light from window were the only thing seeping through seeming to hit only the small drifts of her lower calves that weren't covered by the rough blanket that was not her own.

It was a harsh dull day for Peyton Sawyer as she woke up once again in the empty bed of Nathan Scott.

They say that high school is meant to be the best years of your life, but she could help but wonder as her eyes drifted to the mirror, that if these were the best years of her life then what hell was the rest of her life going to consist of?

This was not the life she wanted; not the life she craved. For a high school cheerleader, life was expected to be easy. But then again high school cheerleaders were considered easy. And maybe she was becoming that. She settled for this life, she settled for a man who didn't love her and basically used her as a trophy, she settled for a life without love.

She laughed to nothing and nobody, the silence being her own friend and enemy at this moment as her eyes quickly darted away from her own reflection.

No wonder she couldn't stand to look at her reflection in the mirror, because the girl looking back at her everyday wasn't a girl she wanted to know. Hell, when she looked in the mirror she wanted to punch it, break it into a million pieces and leave someone else to clean up the mess but she wouldn't do it. She was the cheerleader dating the jock…

She had an image to maintain.

--

Lucas Scott stared up at his ceiling listening to the simple beating of his heartbeat as the morning light streamed in through his window. He regretted leaving the curtains open. The light seemed too bright to his eyes, it slowly crept in forcing a headache to seep through his thoughts. He turned his back away from the harsh morning light and groaned as sleep caught up with him.

It was too early, he decided. Way too early.

Then again he had been out on the River Court to three in the morning. It was his own fault if it was too early and he knew it…unfortunately.

"Lucas, get up. It's time for school." A voice rang through his tired haze as for a single fleeting moment he had been on the verge of sleep.

He sighed, letting his eyes adjust to the harsh light before he slowly sat up letting his hands rub over his tired eyes as if trying to soothe his tired mind.

He was unsuccessful.

Groaning one final time, he got up and reluctantly prepared himself for another day. He foot hovered midair as his eyes lingered on his reflection. Like a slow trance he was pulled into a rollercoaster of thoughts. He wished the man staring back at him had the answers to life's greatest mysteries. He wished he could see truth and courage in his reflection, but when his foot made contact with the wooden panels of his floor, he was sprung out of his trance and he realised two simple truths one more.

He wasn't that guy and this would be another day where he wouldn't talk to Peyton Sawyer.

--

She had always been into her music. She had always been into her art. They mattered to her, both of them, but art had always been her fondness. The one release she had. She wanted her art to matter. To someone, to anyone, she just wanted it to change someone's life even in some small way. As long as her art mattered to someone then that was all that was important.

She turned at the entering figure to the room, still sweaty from his run, "Nathan…"

He stopped from his journey towards the shower and dragged his feet over to her, an action she pretended not to notice, "Yeah?"

She bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn't let him look at her art. It wasn't as if he cared, but maybe some small part of him did and she was willing to take a chance. She slowly picked up the sketch, letting her fingers graze over the corners for a moment until a bored cough brought her back into reality, "What do you think of this?"

He glanced down, his eyes gliding from the sketch back up to her quickly, not bothering to pay any attention to the little bit of her soul that she had drawn. Her heart sank a little more into its dark hole, already knowing what exactly was wrong with this scenario. Nathan didn't care about anything other than himself.

"It's nice." It was like salt being poured into the wound. He turned and walked away, adding as an afterthought, "Bit of a stupid caption though."

Might as well prod the wound with a stick while you're at it.

A single tear plopped on to her latest drawing at the sound of the shower running. Of course her art didn't matter to anyone. How could she have been stupid enough to think otherwise, especially when Nathan Scott was involved?

"Hey do you want to join me in here?" She heard him shout above the sound of falling water.

With that she carefully placed her drawing in her bag, grabbed her jacket harshly from his bed and walked away, slamming the door with as much force as she could muster as she went.

She had done this a couple hundred times, all the time hoping that this time – just this one time – he would chase after and say something to show her that he cared. He never did and every day a small part of her died inside because of it.

One day she would walk out that door and never give a second glance to Nathan Scott ever again and quietly inside, she was praying for that day to come soon before her heart was too broken for anyone to repair.

--

Literature always mattered to him. Basketball always mattered to him. Yet whilst literature let him delve into another world, let him lose himself like a dancer caught up in the music, his one true love was always basketball.

Yet when he came across a certain line or phrase or paragraph, he couldn't help but think that he wants to live through a moment like the one just described on paper just so he can sum it up in a brand new quote of his own that's as perfect as the one he has just read.

So far he hasn't had much luck on that so far.

So he lets basketball be his release for life. He might not live through many memorable moments, but one day – one day very very soon - he knew he would that would all change and basketball would be the reason for that. At least he hoped it would be in some way, shape or form be involved in that change he hopes will occur.

Basketball has been such a big part of his life that it defines him. He can't imagine a life without basketball and he doesn't want to imagine it if he's truthful so he loses himself as he shoots a hoop and smiles knowing that one day, everything's gonna change.

And when the ball comes clattering at his feet, he'll look up and see her sometimes driving her car, music pumping out louder than he cares and one day soon he hopes that instead of driving on by like she normally does, Peyton Sawyer will look up and notice him and in the blink of an eye…

Everything's gonna change.

He knows it. He sure of it in fact, more than anything else in his life because he knows that one day in the future, soon or far away, Peyton Sawyer is going to matter to him and he'll be able to sum up a perfect quote with her involved.

He smiles as he slowly turns and walks to school knowing that everything will change. One day soon, everything's gonna change and he'll be ready, but will she?

**AN: I'm not sure if I should keep this going or just leave it as a oneshot, but I don't really write much OTH so who knows where I could end up with the story, but tell me what you think regardless. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Yeah, I started this ages ago and I finally decided to get back to it. I was in the mood to. Everything might not be in the proper order of how it went in the ep but I'm changing it slightly...not sure how much yet but it's mixed up for a reason...probably. lol...On with the story. :)**

**-----------**

She had often seen him staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Secretly she had been pleased with the attention. She often got stared at, just for being the girlfriend of Nathan Scott. All the attention hadn't bothered her, it came with the title, but with him – the estranged brother of her boyfriend – it had been different.

He didn't just stare at her, taking in her body. No, somehow whenever she met his gaze she could easily see that he was studying her, taking in every detail and trying to create a perfect picture of who she was, but there was nothing perfect about her.

She narrows her eyes, studying him back warily, before mouthing, "What?"

He grins and she thinks he might see this as some small sort of victory, but a victory of what exactly? A win over on his brother? She looks into his eyes and knows - how much she might think otherwise at times - that this isn't the case. It is more like something Nathan would do anyway.

This guy...he's something different.

He shrugs, a grin still complacent on his face, "Nothing."

Her eyes travel over his face once more and longer for a second on his baby blues, before she looks sharply down as his gaze locks on to hers for a simple second. There's definitely something different about him. It bugs her that she can't figure out what exactly that difference is.

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He smiles to himself as he makes his way to the River Court. It's unusual, but today was different. Good different, great different and now – at long last – he's finally making progress. She talked to him, and he talked back. It may have been a total of two words – one on each part – but it was still progress.

Peyton Sawyer had finally noticed him. Now, he at least had the oppurtunity to engage in more conversations; longer conversations and then maybe…

Well, then maybe he'd be the weird guy who wants to date his estranged half brother's girlfriend. The gossip mill would have a field day, but he's used to the stares; it came with the title of the 'unwanted Scott'. He doesn't care about that anymore…at least he tries not to.

He raises his hands, the ball glides through the air and swishes down the net and when he hears the familiar rumble of a car engine making its way by, he looks up and see her.

The only difference is that she now sees him too.

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The familiar sounds of NOFX pump out as she drives. She considers changing the CD, not because she doesn't like the song but because maybe a change is warranted. Maybe it would be good to change. Different music, different outlook on life, different boyfriend…

She decides against it. She doesn't want to change her music, she loves what she listens to now. As for her outlook on life, well, she can't remember a time when it hasn't felt pessimistic. Nothing could probably change that now anyway and as for Nathan…well, she just doesn't know anymore.

Peyton could feel eyes on her. She didn't know why she suddenly knew but she did and the strange thing was that she didn't feel unnerved by that knowledge. And then she looks up and she knows why.

It's him.

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He had watched her drive by; a billow of smoke being the only proof she had been there in the first place. He stands still for a moment – dazzed, stunned, surprised, but most of all; happy.

Definitely making progress, he thinks to himself.

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He thinks it's ironic that it's her whose car is broken, when it seems to him that she in her own way is broken to, not that he would say that to her. No, if he said that to her then the progress - albeit little progress – he's made would turn out to be worthless.

She's surprised to see him when he stepped out of the van, she probably expected anyone else but him and he found it hard to surpress a grin at the expression on her face.

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Somehow she's surprised to see him, and yet she expected him anyway. It wasn't as if it was impossible for him to be here. She did ring 'Scott's Body Shop' after all and she did know from the gossip mill she's forced to listen to that he does work there, so it didn't come as that much of a surprise that he's here to fix her car.

Yet it's still a surprise nonetheless.

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Who else would drive a vintage comet but her?

It's a great car, there is no denying that and having seen her driving in it, well, it's hard to imagine there being any other car that seems made for her. Or if there would be any other car that she would feel happy driving.

He has a feeling she will be reluctant to change this car. Ever. No matter how many times it will break down, she'll try to keep it for as long as she can because it is almost a part of her, in a sense.

Lucky for her it's not that bad this time.

But there's no point telling her that, she wouldn't really care. Or at least she would pretend not to care, still reluctant to remove the façade she shows the world. He can understand that; he's the same way. She's constantly trying to show that nothing matters to her whilst he's trying to show everyone that being a Scott doesn't matter to him.

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She can feel him staring at her just out of the corner of his eye. The silence is awkward because she feels there shouldn't be silence. They should be talking about something, anything, nothing…she wants to talk to him but at the same time she doesn't.

No wonder her dad, when he's actually there, calls her a mass of contradictions.

She knows he's been studying her and, if she's honest with herself, she's been doing the same thing. She can't help it; he intrigues her. She doesn't know why, but he seems different.

She feels like he could break down her barriers, the emotional ones she's built up so carefully to stop people getting in. The prospect of him breaking them down both excites her and scares her.

Yet what scares her most is why she cares.

She has no answer for that question. What makes him so different?

-------

He wants to say something to her; something smart, something she'll appreciate…anything to get rid of the silence.

He doesn't mind the silence, if he's honest. He could be comfortable sitting in silence with her, but neither of them are sitting and making eye contact is turning out to be harder that he once thought it could be.

It's when he sees the NOFX sticker on her book that a lyric sticks out in his head. "That's me inside your head."

Somehow fitting, he thinks. At least she listens to good music.

"What?"

Or not.

"NOFX." He continues,"That's me inside your head…" He tries again singing (barely) in a voice he really regrets. He's never been a good singer and the way she's looking at him only confirms that. So much for trying to look cool, "It's the lyrics from the-"

"I know the song."

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To be continued...

**AN: Not sure why I left it off there, but I brought the wrong USB pen with me and I'm not sure when I'll if I'll be int he library again for another few days so I thought might as well put some up rather than none. Review if you enjoyed...**


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